Gryphon & Mollie will be going on a road trip with me the end of this month. It will be a 4 1/2 hour drive to where where heading.

The only problem is, is that we have car riding "issues" and really don't want to see this long drive turn into an ride. Issues such as excessive barking (and I really mean excessive barking) and bouncing & boinging all over the back seat.

A friend recommended that we give each dog a Gravol before heading out and wanted to know;

a) If giving Gravol to a dog is o.k. and
b) If so, is one tablet per dog safe?
Gryphon weights 48 pounds and Mollie weight 36 lbs.

Also, has anyone ever used the seat belt harnesses that you tie into the car seat belts and do they work to restrain your pet?

Thank you for reading my questions!

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A dog wags his tail with his heart
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i know my sister used gravol because one of her dogs used to get sick and they were down here 1ce a month from montreal. doseage i have no clue, her dog is under 15lbs so she bought baby gravol. she also uses seat belts for both of her dogs they can lie down or sit up but cannot wander the back seat. she uses a harness style one.

the other thing my sister was told she could try was boiling ginger and give him the water before getting in the car. some say dont give food or water an hour before you leave. when we go to windsor or montreal beau will only drink bottled water or what we bring from home, he doesn't like the taste from other places

Mollie may be better now, klm. Every setter we've ever had as a pup suffered from car sickness early on, but grew out of it. that it's the same with Mollie.

And sporting goods stores carry those foam ear plugs. Very effective against excessive barking! You just need to keep a sharp eye out for emergency vehicles since you'll be unable to hear the sirens...

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I would only use gravol as a last resort such as if you were more than an hour into the trip and the dogs were still crazy. They will likely settle fairly quickly especially when you get up to highway speeds.

I use seatbelts for the dogs and have since Riley was a puppy. This is the model that I like the best www.kurgo.com I don't like to connect the dog to the seatbelt as I find connecting them lower down like that can get them tangled. I actually have short super strong leashes that I anchor to the child anchor bolts and bring behind and over the top of the seats and then attach them to the dog's seatbelt. Kurgo also makes an auto zip line to connect the dogs http://www.kurgo.com/products/azl.html.

I would recommend trying the homeopathic remedy Aconitum nepalis (aconite) 30c or 200c and give one hour before and then again right before travel. It is very good for fearful and/or stressed dogs.

If you get the seatbelts I would recommend a few short trips individually before tackling the long trip.

Good luck.

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Are you able to put the dogs in a crate somehow in your vehicle? Or, like others suggested, a seatbelt may be helpful. I have heard before about withholding food/water before the car trip, but have only heard this is regards to when a dog gets car sick... do they get car sick or just act nuts in the vehicle?

"Many of the Earth's habitats, animals, plants, insects, and even micro-organisms that we know as rare may not be known at all by future generations. We have the capability, and the responsibility. We must act before it is too late." - Dalai Lama

And sporting goods stores carry those foam ear plugs. Very effective against excessive barking! You just need to keep a sharp eye out for emergency vehicles since you'll be unable to hear the sirens...

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeriM

I would only use gravol as a last resort such as if you were more than an hour into the trip and the dogs were still crazy. They will likely settle fairly quickly especially when you get up to highway speeds.

I use seatbelts for the dogs and have since Riley was a puppy. This is the model that I like the best www.kurgo.com I don't like to connect the dog to the seatbelt as I find connecting them lower down like that can get them tangled. I actually have short super strong leashes that I anchor to the child anchor bolts and bring behind and over the top of the seats and then attach them to the dog's seatbelt. Kurgo also makes an auto zip line to connect the dogs http://www.kurgo.com/products/azl.html.

I would recommend trying the homeopathic remedy Aconitum nepalis (aconite) 30c or 200c and give one hour before and then again right before travel. It is very good for fearful and/or stressed dogs.

If you get the seatbelts I would recommend a few short trips individually before tackling the long trip.

Good luck.

The zipline looks interesting. I may pack the Gravol for a "just in case" emergency. Thanks for the links TeriM.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cassiek

Are you able to put the dogs in a crate somehow in your vehicle? Or, like others suggested, a seatbelt may be helpful. I have heard before about withholding food/water before the car trip, but have only heard this is regards to when a dog gets car sick... do they get car sick or just act nuts in the vehicle?

Other than bringing the crate folded up, I have a four door sedan so no room for a crate. I'll make sure to withhold the food/water before the trip. We're not leaving until late morning/early afternoon so that'll be plenty of time after breakfast. Not sure about Mollie getting sick as this will be her first long road trip but what I do know is that they both act nuts-oh!

__________________
A dog wags his tail with his heart
Dogs have Masters--Cats have Staff